Nearly 300 attendees participated across town halls hosted by Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland on Wednesday, with the constant power outages in the region being the main topic of discussion.
Ms Cleeland was joined by Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell and Shadow Minister for Energy David Davis as meetings were held with the community in Longwood, Euroa, Violet Town, and Nagambie.
“It was so important to hear from those impacted by these power outages and understand the very real effect this is having on households and businesses,” Ms Cleeland said.
“The constant power outages impacting our regional communities simply cannot continue.
“These outages are doing more than just keeping residents in the dark, they are hitting people’s pockets at a time when they can least afford it, preventing people from working and forcing many businesses to close.”
Ms Cleeland said she will continue to advocate for the local community and will be bringing attention to the matter when Parliament resumes.
“These outages, and AusNet’s role in them, is something that I have been working on over the course of my time in Parliament, even before the most recent string of power outages,” Ms Cleeland said.
“I have engaged with AusNet on multiple occasions already regarding the outages and continue to do so to ensure we can resolve these issues.
“When Parliament resumes in February, these outages will be my number one priority to raise.
“This Melbourne-focussed Labor Government must take this issue seriously and prevent further turmoil for our regional communities.”
Ms Cleeland said the personal stories from the town halls would contribute to the case to call for AusNet to invest in upgrading the infrastructure and deliver a reliable service.
“For residents who were unable to attend in person, I encourage you to continue sharing your experiences by emailing me directly,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Your stories contribute to building a comprehensive understanding of the hardships faced by our community, ranging from financial burdens to health and safety concerns.
“Together, we can build a stronger case for necessary action.”
